Much like the beautiful gamalan band Sekar Enggal that opened, you could just close your eyes and float away to the serene music. Max Richter was supported by a string quintet - 2 violins, a voila and 2 cellos - and ensemble and sound put Clint Mansells night at the Union Chapel to shame. Which is ironic, I suppose, considering he got a standing ovation, while this night the Chapel was (pleasantly) not even sold out.

The very first piece, from Memory House, encapsulated the whole night for me - layers upon layers of sublime melody, starting in the cello’s, the in each violin, and before you notice it, you hear the subtle viola singing out in reply. The last track before interval began quietly, but built up until a gutteral bassline thundered under the music, like an organ playing the low pipes with all the stops pulled out. It was startling, and quite effective, making me want to hear Max in a Church with an organ that could do him justice on that piece. The crescendo in the finale, too, was also executed with such empathy and finesse that it made the hairs on the back of you neck stand up. It was not suprising after a night of silent reverence from the audience that he received a standing ovation. I suspect this show will end up in my Top 5 shows attended in London… only time will tell!

After a suprise introduction by friends including none other than Darren Aronofsky praising his music, you’d expect a relative air of confidence about Clint Mansell, but as he even as he took to the stage, he was quietly and unassuming.
Clint as a musician has had quite a meandering path to where he is now, some of which, if you didnt previously know about, you might find abit suprising. In particular the contrast between his last band, the extroverted Pop Will Eat Itself and the relatively introverted compositions he makes now. Of course, those of us who are familiar with both sides of the coin can draw similarity between the two - I often imagine hearing the PWEI guitars powering away in tandum with his current works.

The contrast of work was joy to hear - the serene beauty of the work in The Fountain to the heaving brutality of Requiem For A Dream. Watching the lead guitarist hammering the bridge of his electric guitar with his fist, or teasing out textures with an ebow was simply awe inspiring.

I’m fortunate to have seen Clint live, as I believe this was only the 2nd time ever they’ve performed in the current format. I’m not sure how many more of these he’s doing, but if your into him, you’d do well to go along and check him out!

Welcome!

Find the Jeff Buckley 'Flowers In Time' resources above. These are meant to be a detailed guide to Jeff's music, with particular focus on his live show.

The measure of any good musician is not just their music, but in their performance, and in both respects, Jeff was pure music in motion. In memory of this, the blog below is dedicated to the pursuit of good music and its performance.